The New Jersey Devils keep making the same mistake, and it’s hard to ignore how costly it’s become: they keep spotting the other team the first goal.
That happened again Monday night against the Ottawa Senators, and it was already the Devils’ fifth game of the season. Five games in, five times giving up the opening goal.
Against Utah Mammoth and the Vancouver Canucks, the damage came on early power-play goals. In the season opener against the Flyers, it was a tip in front on a delayed penalty.
Against the New York Islanders and Ottawa, the first goals came on defensive lapses that turned into back-door tap-ins. Both plays looked nearly identical, and both came with Nico Daws in goal.
But the real issue may not be that the Devils are flat early. The numbers say something different.
A graph circulating on X showed the Devils near the top of the league in first-period pressure, and in fact they lead the NHL in expected goals for at the start of games. Buffalo and Edmonton are the only teams close.
The problem is finishing that work. The Devils can create, they can push play, they can generate chances - but if the puck doesn’t go in, none of it changes the score.
And this isn’t just a five-game wobble.
Since the start of the 2025-26 season, the Devils have surrendered the first goal 53 times in 87 games. That means 61 percent of their games have started with them chasing.
Last season told the same story in a more dramatic way. When the Devils scored first, they went 27-6-1, a 130-point pace.
When they didn’t, they were 15-31-2, a 51-point pace.
That split makes one thing pretty clear: this team plays a whole lot better with the lead.
The same pattern showed up in Sheldon Keefe’s first season behind the bench. In 2024-25, the Devils gave up the first goal in 42 of 82 games, and they still managed only 13 wins in those games. When they scored first that year, they went 29-8-3.
So now the question facing new general manager Sunny Mehta is whether the issue is the system or the personnel.
If the problem is the system, the fix is straightforward: fire Sheldon Keefe and bring in a coach who can clean up the defensive side without stripping away the fast pace that has helped the Devils post strong starts analytically. If the problem is the core, then it gets much messier. Mehta would have to consider moving on from players such as Dawson Mercer or Timo Meier, which is no simple task, especially with the No Movement Clauses former GM Tom Fitzgerald handed out to the latter.
Either way, the Devils have to sort it out quickly. Another season with Jack Hughes and another pile of losses after falling behind first would be too much for everyone involved - fans, players, and maybe even the eldest Hughes brother.
In Other News...
Devils Escape Needed Win But Keefe Still Has A Problem To Solve
The Devils got the result they needed against Detroit, but it came with a familiar hint of frustration. New Jersey controlled the shot count for long stretches and still had to sweat out a one-goal game into overtime before Jack Hughes finally finished it off, lifting the club to a 3-3 record and giving the room a much-needed boost after a shaky start.
Sheldon Keefe can at least point to the positives, from the pressure the Devils generated to the way several players contributed in key moments. But the lineup picture is still not settled, and the coaching staff had to adjust on the fly with Luke Evangelista out because of an illness, which only adds another layer to the decisions ahead as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Still Have A 5 On 5 Problem They Didn't Expect
Through six games, the Devils have settled into a 3-3 start, but the bigger concern has been what is happening at five-on-five. The puck movement and overall chances have been there, and the underlying numbers point to a team creating more than it is giving up, yet the goals have not followed at the rate New Jersey expected.
That mismatch has left the coaching staff looking for small fixes rather than sweeping changes. One possibility is a modest line tweak to give the offense a different look and, perhaps, a little more finishing touch at even strength, which is the kind of adjustment a team usually tries before the frustration starts to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Fans Get An Early Rivalry Test Against The Rangers
The Hudson River Rivalry gets an early-season stage Thursday night at Prudential Center, with the Devils and Rangers meeting at 7 p.m. in a matchup that always seems to bring a little more edge, a little more noise and a little more attention than the calendar might suggest. For New Jersey, it is the kind of game that can help set a tone at home, especially with captain Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Connor Brown and Brett Pesce all weighing in on what makes this rivalry feel different from a typical divisional date.
The Devils know these games carry their own rhythm, and they will get more than one crack at the Rangers over the course of the year as the two teams split their meetings between both arenas. Still, the first one at Prudential Center has a way of mattering on its own, because every shift can feel a little sharper when these two are on the ice together. For a team trying to build momentum and establish its identity early, this is the kind of test that tells you something right away. [Read more 🡒]